If you’re in business selling products, you’ve likely begun to look at options for e-commerce so that you can offer your products to a wider audience.
Whether you’re completely online-based in e-commerce or also have a physical store, Instagram is an excellent outlet for promoting your products and reaching leads in your target audience. Now, due to the enhancements Instagram has made for e-commerce integration, it’s also a place to make sales.
It was definitely challenging to sell products via Instagram in the past; to better support e-business, Instagram introduced the product tag feature.
Before product tags, you were limited to only one link in your Instagram bio, making it very challenging to get users to go the extra mile to visit your bio, visit your e-store, and then still consider buying.
People don’t want to take the extra step to do so, and without product tags, it was truly difficult to get even interested leads over to your sales website.
Since Instagram announced that businesses could tag products in their Instagram photos, everything changed. It’s a much more streamlined process for your followers and viewers to convert to clients, and it can be done in just a few simple taps, all from within the Instagram app itself.
In this article, we’ll discuss some different benefits of product tags, how to use them to maximize sales, and gain more traction for your business on Instagram.
Why Instagram is the Best Platform for E-commerce
Instagram is highly popular among consumers, and roughly 80% of Instagram users look to the platform to help them make purchasing decisions.
Not only that, Instagram harnesses the power of 1 billion monthly active users, giving businesses and brands a real opportunity to get their products in front of more potential customers.
Because of the new stoppable feature on Instagram, you can now strategically use the platform for sales like never before.
According to official Instagram statistics, “130 million Instagram accounts tap on a shopping post to learn more about products every month.” What’s more, 70% of shoppers rely on Instagram to discover new products. Powerful, isn’t it?
While you may not get the whole 130 million clicking on your posts, even a small percentage of that traffic can make a big impact on your sales results.
Companies are truly thriving with the introduction of product tags on Instagram, seeing increases in revenue ranging anywhere from 20% to even a 100% increase!
There’s no doubt that your business should be implementing Instagram posts that include product tags. You don’t want to miss out on potential business that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
That said, it can be a bit confusing or intimidating to create high-quality shoppable Instagram posts when you’ve never done it before. You may feel lost, or like you don’t know where to begin.
Don’t fret— we’ve got you covered! In this article, we will describe exactly how Instagram product tags work, why you need them, how to use them in your posts, and best practices to drive more revenue through IG product tags.
Aim high— maybe you’ll see that 100% increase in your revenue, as well!
What are Instagram Product Tags?
If you haven’t become familiar with the Instagram product tag feature yet, we’ll explain it here so that we start off strong and understand exactly what IG product tags do.
Instagram product tags are a new feature that Instagram developed to aid e-commerce businesses in getting more results and sales from directly within their Instagram post.
Shoppable Instagram tags contain two key elements: the name of the product, and the price of the product.
Anyone who views your posted photo that includes product tags will be able to tap on that product tag, which will then lead the user to more information about the product as well as the price.
Users can view details, view your shop, view the product on the website, save the post, or even share it with friends. What a wide range of opportunities you have through these Instagram product tags!
You can get your potential client to your website to buy the product in just two seconds, with two simple clicks; it sure beats having to direct them to your link in bio and hoping that they can find the product they’re looking for on your website.
Due to the fact that Instagram doesn’t allow captions to contain clickable links (eye roll, we know!), using Instagram shoppable posts can get you more website traffic and more purchases by making the user experience easier than ever.
So, how do you use Instagram product tags? We’re going to give you the complete rundown. Before we do, let’s look more closely at the direct benefits that Instagram product tags can offer your business.
Why You Need Instagram Product Tags
90% of all Instagram users follow at least one business account, two out of three people believe Instagram allows them to interact with brands, and 50% of users are more interested in a brand after seeing their posts and ads on the platform. This comes directly from official Instagram business data, so you know that the information is accurate.
Those are some big numbers, and using Instagram product tags are only increasing the chances that a user becomes interested and even purchases your product after seeing it on Instagram.
Do Instagram product tags really work? The short answer is a resounding yes! They’ve proven to be very effective since their launch, and BigCommerce asserts that some Instagram accounts have seen as much as 1,416% growth in both their traffic as well as sales after using Instagram shoppable posts.
This article references a few different businesses that have seen exponential growth, including Magnolia Boutique with a 20% increase in revenue from Instagram, Native Union with a 2,666% increase in traffic, and Natori with a 1,416% boost in traffic.
A high-end fashion company, Natori knew that Instagram’s shoppable posts were the perfect way to display their products in an accessible and authentic way. When the BigCommerce article was written, Natori had already uploaded 61 posts with tagged products; they not only enjoyed that huge increase in traffic, but their revenue from Instagram was boosted by 100%.
These are just some real-world examples of how Instagram product tags can work for your business. Why is it that they work so well, you might ask?
1. Convenience
We live in a society of “now” and instant gratification, which ultimately makes consumers lazy. They normally go the route that requires the least amount of work on their part.
When you want a potential client to take action, you are much more likely to convince them to do so if the process is easy, quick, and convenient. The action we want them to take here, of course, is to visit your website and purchase the product(s) they’re interested in.
If a consumer has a choice between (a) visiting your Instagram profile, clicking your website link, and then searching around to find the product(s) they’re interested in, or (b) tap directly on the Instagram post, find out more details, and visit the website to the direct product page, which one would they likely choose?
The choice is clear— easy and straightforward makes for a more convincing and convenient sales process. Instagram product tags simplify the process and get your viewers directly to the page they need to be on if they want to purchase something.
2. Integrated Advertisements
Instagram product tags are also effective because they don’t distract users from viewing your Instagram content and you can still create high-quality content and add your product tags on top of what you’d normally post.
Product tags blend into your post seamlessly and only appear if the user taps on the photo. How does a user know if your post contains product tags?
On your profile, a small shopping bag icon appears in the top right corner of your post. If users didn’t see it and click on your post, or they come across your post in their newsfeed, the shoppable post icon will appear in the bottom left corner of your content.
Users then know they can tap to see all the product tags that are connected to the photo. You can create content that would be something you’d typically post, even content including real people, and then add the product tags later, making your product advertisements very authentic and appealing to Instagram users.
Your posts are natural, fit right into the user experience, and also help users to view products they are interested in directly from the photo that they saw the product in.
3. Conversion
Because the process is so simple, your conversion rates are likely to increase. In two taps the user can already be on the product page and they can check out directly from the Instagram app itself, which has completely changed the game.
If you weren’t previously using Instagram to promote your products through shoppable posts, how’s the time to start! It’s truly an incredibly developed tool for brands and businesses to boost conversion rates and revenue from Instagram directly.
How to Tag Products on Instagram
Now that we understand why Instagram product tags are worth your while, we’ll look at how you can use Instagram product tags.
Before we can do that, you should check to make sure that your business:
- Is based in one of these listed countries
- Primarily sells physical goods
If you meet both of those prerequisites, you’re ready to start the process for Instagram product tags and shoppable posts. You have to then connect your Instagram account to a Facebook catalog, your account will be reviewed, and you’ll be ready to start creating shoppable content.
The truth is that adding a shoppable Instagram post with product tags isn’t difficult. It only takes a few easy steps, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be pumping out shoppable posts in no time at all.
Step 1: Upload Your Product Image
The first thing you need to do is go to your Instagram and create a new post, just as you normally would. Select the photo you want to upload, add any filters if you’d like, then choose the Tag Products option on the screen where you write your caption. This is the final screen before you share your post.
Step 2: Tag Your Products
One you tap that Tag Products option, you can look through your catalog and select the product(s) you want to tag. The process of tagging products is similar to tagging people in Instagram posts; the only difference is that you’ll choose the tag from your product list instead of your follower list.
Instagram will allow you to tag up to 5 products in a single image post. If you post multiple images at a time in a gallery post, you can tag up to 20 products throughout all of the photos you upload.
Just because you can tag five doesn’t mean you have to. @BenefitCosmetics did a great job using all five in this post without making it overwhelming, but you don’t want to smother your followers and viewers with product tags. Keep it simple and choose maybe 2 or 3 products to highlight in a single post, depending on the content.
You’re also able to add a product sticker on Instagram stories, so the feature is still available there as well. You’d add it when you are getting ready to post your Instagram story.
Step 3: Make Sales Via Instagram
After you’ve tagged all the products to your liking, tap the Publish button so that your post will go live. Give yourself a pat on the back— you’ve just created your first shoppable post on Instagram!
After your first shoppable post is available in your feed, a new element will be added to your profile— a View Shop button. This button will appear under your Instagram bio and allows users to visit your store, search your shop, look at any collections, as well as see all of your shoppable posts in one place.
Starting to feel upset that you didn’t start using this feature sooner? Don’t worry— you can go back to the previously posted content and add shoppable tags to old posts that are already live. That way, you don’t miss out on the chance to make some of your best content shoppable.
Because your posts appear in the newsfeed of your followers just like normal content, it’s important that you continue your efforts to get more Instagram followers in order to get your shoppable posts seen by as many people as possible.
You can use an organic Instagram growth service like Growthoid to help get your content more attention and grow your followers naturally.
Another way to get your content seen is to use hashtags that get your posts in relevant hashtag feeds (more tips on that in the next section).
Also, shoppable posts do appear on the Explore page, so if you get your content up onto the explore page through a lot of engagement (likes and comments), it will be seen by more people.
The more people that see your post, the more likely you are to make more sales, which is the whole purpose of using Instagram product tags. It’s a great opportunity that your new viewers or followers wouldn’t have had before, so definitely take advantage of this feature!
How to Use Instagram Product Tags to Increase Sales
While it’s easy enough to create shoppable posts on Instagram, making sure you use the feature in an effective way is a whole different thing. You should be used to that by now since that’s always the case with any content or feature on Instagram.
When you optimize your Instagram shoppable posts, you’ll be able to get a larger return and higher conversion rates from Instagram.
Here are 5 must-have tips to help your Instagram product tags truly work for you and get you more sales and revenue.
1. Study Instagram Insights
Instagram provides an in-platform analytics service called Instagram insights that helps you to understand how your content is performing and make strategic decisions based on actual metrics.
Among many other things, you can also view engagement that you receive on shoppable posts and shoppable stories. When you figure out which posts are performing better, you can decide why that might be and continue to gear your strategy to mirror those types of high-performing posts.
You’ll probably notice that the type of content has a big impact on how your post performs, so take a look at what content types are getting the best response from your followers and viewers. Do they include people? Are they single-product features? It is a mashup of many different products shot from above?
You always want to keep this in mind and then post products that your audience is actually interested in. To do this, you have to identify your target audience and understand their demographics, which you can also find via Instagram insights.
If you want to do some market research, do a poll in your Instagram stories. Choose two products for one post and then put the poll option so that users can vote which one they like better. This will help you to understand what products your Instagram followers and viewers like best.
You could also use the question feature to ask your followers directly about the type of products they’re most interested in, what they want to see more of, and other relevant questions.
2. Optimize Captions
Captions also play a vital role in what your audience decides to do, so you should make sure that the caption is both well-written and catchy.
It can be a daunting task to write captions that drive sales because you don’t want to sound too salesy or spammy, but you also don’t want to just completely ignore the fact that your goal is to get people to buy something after viewing this post.
You should write captions that are authentic, fun, engaging, and related to the content in your shoppable post. You also should include a call-to-action (CTA) that prompts your followers to do something (which in this case should be to tap the photo and view your products/make a purchase).
For example, let’s take a look again at that @benefitcosmetics post we talked about earlier. Not only is their image very effective for the Instagram product tags they chose, they also wrote a fun and engaging caption to get their followers attention and prompt them to check out the product.
It reads: “We DARE you to pick just one cheek & lip stain to wear… which one are you choosing?! 🥰 #benefit”
This is a subtle CTA that invites followers to think about which one they like best, check them out through the product tags, and also even leave a comment, boosting engagement on the post. Win-win!
3. Add Hashtags
Again, Instagram shoppable posts are just like normal Instagram posts in how they appear to users, which means that having a strong hashtag strategy is a must if you want to get your content out to new people.
When people search for a hashtag, they will see all the posts that use the hashtag. This is a great chance to get your content seen by people who don’t follow you.
It’s better to use hashtags that are niche-specific so that it will be related to your industry or sub-industry and be seen by people who are likely to be interested in what you’re selling.
An example of this might be #jeansfashion, which only has 322k posts, in comparison with #jeans, which has 42m. The more posts using the hashtag, the less likely your post is to be seen.
You should use hashtags that your users are likely to search for or follow. Take a look at competing brands or businesses to see what they’re using, and also use a tool like Task Ant to help you analyze hashtag performance in your niche and generate a list of ones that will work best for you.
Also check out influencers in your niche or industry; they’re often a great source of hashtags because they use them to get their content seen, likely by people in your target audience.
Once you’ve selected a few different hashtags, you can view your performance on Instagram insights to see how many impressions your content got from the hashtags you used. It doesn’t tell you which ones specifically, so you may want to do a couple tests.
4. Use Effective Product Descriptions
Remember that when your followers tap on the Instagram product tag, they’ll be taken to another screen where they can view Product Details about the product that they tapped on.
If you already have product details listed on your website, you can use those; if not, you need to create something that is catchy, persuasive, and hypes up the product.
Keep your product details concise, informational, and engaging. You don’t want your product details to be boring or lackluster, so make sure you use attractive words that bring your product to life.
Let’s take a look at the product description on the @benefitcosmetics post:
Our doe foot applicator glides right on lips & blends over cheeks for a gorgeous look in seconds and the kiss-proof color lasts for hours. It’s loved by celebs, makeup artists and gals around the world.
Here we can see they gave a concise and informational description of the product but also included vibrant descriptive language and even referenced who loves to use the product, building authority.
5. Bring Your Products to Life
It’s no surprise that the photos you post have to be high-quality and enjoyable to look at. This is true of any content strategy on Instagram.
You should go a step further, though, and make your photos colorful, attention-grabbing, and relatable to your audience. The products should also be clear and have character that represents your business image and brand.
A great practice is to display your products in a fun and creative way, or even showcase your products in lifestyle photos that include people. Photos with people gain more engagement on Instagram, so having a good mix of product-only photos and photos that include people using your products can be a great strategy.
Final Tip: How to Track ROI When You Use Instagram Product Tags
Once you’ve been creating Instagram shoppable posts and using Instagram product tags for a while, don’t forget to review your Instagram analytics.
Some of the key things you should be looking for are:
- engagement numbers: What types of content gets the most likes? Which ones get hardly any comments or likes at all?
- Shares: Which posts get shared the most?
- Saved: What type of content do users typically save?
- Reach, Impressions, and Follows: Where are your impressions coming from? Are your hashtags bringing in more impressions or do you need to make changes?
You’ll also be able to see how many users tapped on your product tag, so notice which content types bring in more taps and tailor your strategy accordingly.
If you follow these best practices, you’ll be off to the races with more revenue and website traffic via Instagram in no time at all!
